Electrical male plug terminals are susceptible to damage through bending since they generally project unsupported from a connector body. Forces exerted on the male terminals that are non-axial may cause the terminal to bend from its intended axis and misalign when the mating the male terminal with the corresponding female socket terminal. The male terminals are typically exposed to these forces during the assembly process while handling and connecting the connectors. With the trend in automotive connectors to decrease the cross section of the male terminals and increase the density of male terminals in a connector assembly, the issue of maintaining male terminal alignment has become more important. One solution to the alignment problem has been the inclusion of a male terminal stabilizer that engages the male terminal near the tip of the terminal until it is released when connected with the mating connector. The male terminal stabilizer is typically connected to a shroud in the connector body surrounding the male terminals. The male stabilizer is then released by fracturing the connections between the terminal stabilizer and the shroud by the insertion of the mating connector into the shroud. Examples of these types of terminal stabilizers may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,881 granted to Puhl, et al and U.S. Pat. No. 8,267,702 granted to De La Reza, et al. These blade stabilizers are designed to move from a “stabilizing” position near the tip of the terminal to a “stowed” position near the base of the terminal only once. Therefore, the blade stabilizer does not protect the terminals if the connectors need to be disconnected and reconnected, such as may occur during servicing.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.